8 pate fruit recipes

Vegetarian mince pies with a suet-free, no-suet British mincemeat: dried fruits, ripe banana, almonds, brandy, and warm spice tucked inside flaky shortening pastry. The traditional Christmas pie, made meatless.

Fruited cream puffs: shortcut pate a choux made with pancake mix, filled with ice cream and topped with sweetened strawberries. Ten elegant frozen desserts from pantry staples.

Blended dried fruit pudding made with peaches, apricots, dates, and pineapple soaked in lemon juice. A naturally sweet no-cook dessert with no added sugar.

Moroccan-style charoset balls made with dates, raisins, walnuts, and sweet Passover wine. Bite-sized, naturally sweet fruit and nut confections for the Seder table.

Harvest cookies made with mashed winter squash, chopped dates, nutmeg, and cinnamon. A no-sugar-added drop cookie thats soft, spiced, and naturally sweet from the fruit.

Florida fruit salsa with fresh mango, pineapple, peaches, dates, and hot salsa blended with cilantro and garlic. A sweet-heat condiment for grilled fish, chicken, or pork.

No-bake fruit and nut energy balls with dates, raisins, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and cocoa powder. A naturally sweetened snack with no added sugar, ready in 10 minutes.

Old-fashioned rock cookies packed with raisins, chopped dates, and nuts in a spiced brown sugar dough with cinnamon and cloves. Dense, chewy, and fruit-studded, these hold up for days in a cookie tin.